Friday, December 26, 2008

Top 10 Albums of 2008 -- #5 We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. by Jason Mraz

Sometimes radio stations really irk me. Case in point: the ridiculous overplaying of Jason Mraz's newest single "I'm Yours." If I remember correctly, a similar thing happened with his first big hit, "The Remedy" from Waiting for My Rocket to Come. Why do radio stations do this? I like "I'm Yours" (though I liked it even more in the acoustic version that was released before this album and before radio stations had heard of it)--it's summery and romantic and all kinds of other positive adjectives. Even so, I don't need to hear it ten times a day on every station from light rock to the hottest hits of today.

Even if you share my sentiments and could go without hearing "I'm Yours" for a little while, don't let that deter you from giving We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. a shot. In many ways, I think We Sing is Mraz's best album so far. In some ways it takes me back to older Mraz and is less poppy than Mr. A-Z.

The best thing about We Sing is the variety. Each song really has its own character and sound. The album includes two beautiful duets--the first is "Lucky" with Colbie Caillat (if you're looking for a less over-played love song, try this one), and the second is "Details in the Fabric" with James Morrison (beautiful and thoughtful even with the rambling voicemail in the background). "Live High" features a full choir, "Butterfly" and "Coyotes" come closer to poppy dance numbers, "The Dynamo of Volition" features Mraz's stuttery style in full form, "If It Kills Me" is heavy on the piano, and the album-ender "A Beautiful Mess" is simple and stripped down.

We Sing is definitely one of those albums that grows on me even more with each listen, and I'm gonna keep on listening (even after they stop over-playing "I'm Yours").

2 comments:

Matthew Moore said...

I left this CD is my mom's car when I was up home and then realized I wanted to listen to it way more now that it was gone (tho I listen to it frequently). Jut got it back over xmas and its been in my cd player in my car since. Love it...and despite the muddled voicemail "details in the fabric" is my favorite. he should do some duets on his next album. fa sho.

Kyle said...

Thanks for the comment Matthew. This album making our Top 10 of 2008 is a classic example of me eating my own words: when we started this blog in September, I listed ten artists you wouldn't find on my iPod, Jason Mraz being one of them. Well, I've changed my tune since hearing Mraz's latest tunes: "Make It Mine", "Butterfly" and "The Dynamo of Volition" being a few of my favorites. I like the jazz/soul/funk inspired sound of "We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things." Trust me, I didn't want to, but I assure you I will never enjoy Jack Johnson :)